Cootamundra–Gundagai Regional Council (CGRC) is a

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...

located in the

South West Slopes The South Western Slopes, also known as the South West Slopes, is a region predominantly in New South Wales, Australia. It covers the lower inland slopes of the Great Dividing Range, extending from north of Dunedoo through central NSW and into ...

and

Riverina The Riverina is an agricultural region of south-western New South Wales, Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions by the combination of flat plains, warm to hot climate and an ample supply of water for irrigation ...

regions of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. The council was formed on 12 May 2016 through a merger of the Cootamundra Shire and

Gundagai Shire Gundagai Shire was a local government area in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. On 12 May 2016, Gundagai Shire was abolished and merged with the neighbouring Cootamundra Shire to establish Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council ...

Councils. Originally named Gundagai Council, the name was changed to Cootamundra–Gundagai Regional Council on 7 September 2016. The council has an area of and occupies the slopes of the western side of the

Great Dividing Range The Great Dividing Range, also known as the East Australian Cordillera or the Eastern Highlands, is a cordillera system in eastern Australia consisting of an expansive collection of mountain ranges, plateaus and rolling hills, that runs rough ...

between Yass and Tumut and to the north the beginning of the northern part of the Riverina plains. At the time of its establishment the council had an estimated population of . The first mayor of the Cootamundra–Gundagai Regional Council was Councillor Abb McAlister, who was elected after the inaugural Cootamundra–Gundagai Regional Council election which was held on 9 September 2017. The second and current mayor of the Cootamundra–Gundagai Regional Council is Councillor Charlie Sheahan, who was elected after the NSW Local Government Election which was held on 4 December 2021.

Controversy at creation

Around the same time as the state government was announcing the mergers of shires and councils, the mayor of the

, Abb McAlister, lodged papers with the

Land and Environment Court of New South Wales The Land and Environment Court of New South Wales is a court within the Australian court hierarchy established pursuant to the to hear environmental, development, building and planning disputes. The Court’s jurisdiction, confined to the state ...

to prevent it. Signs protesting the amalgamation were prominently displayed throughout Gundagai for several years.

Towns and localities

The following towns and localities are located within Cootamundra-Gundagai Council:

Demographics

The population for the predecessor councils was estimated in 2015 as: * in Cootamundra Shire and * in Gundagai Shire.

Council

The CGRC consists of nine

Councillor A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries. Canada Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...

s elected proportionally in a single

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

. The inaugural councillors were expected to be elected for a fixed four-year term of office by the Local Government Elections held on 9 September 2017. Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the councillors served a slightly longer term as the elections were postponed to 4 December 2021. The second council was elected on 4 December 2021, with the final results declared on 20 December 2021. These councillors was sworn in at an extraordinary meeting held on 10 January 2022 and will serve for 2 years and 3/4 to realign the election calendar to the original plan. The next election will take place in September of 2024. The most recent election was held on 4 December 2021, and the makeup of the council is as follows:

2021 election results

History

While the two former councils of the Cootamundra Shire & the Gundagai Shire were being amalgamated, Christine Ferguson was appointed as council administrator and Ken Tretheway was appointed as Interim General Manager at the creation of the new council. Ferguson is a farmer in the Gundagai area and former state president of the National Party. She had also been a councillor of

during the 1990s. The inaugural council and its first election was held on 9 September 2017, and the makeup of that council is as follows:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council Local government areas of New South Wales 2016 establishments in Australia Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council